The grand commander of all awards
The future belongs to the youth, an enlightened youth is our best resource. Now that I approach the calvous generation; one of my most memorable quotes on youth is taken from an article I read years ago in Newsweek, and it says, blessed are the youth, for they shall inherit the national debt. I hope […]
The future belongs to the youth, an enlightened youth is our best resource. Now that I approach the calvous generation; one of my most memorable quotes on youth is taken from an article I read years ago in Newsweek, and it says, blessed are the youth, for they shall inherit the national debt. I hope the youths read the very unpatriotic report in Monday’s Daily Trust which placed Lagos, Bauchi and Kaduna on the ivy league of debtor states of the federation.
The leaders of the #30PercentOrNothing movement did not define who they regard as youths but it is suspected that the geriatrics dubbed youth leaders by some political parties are exempted. The plagiarists of our constitution pegged the voting age at 18; but 18-year olds cannot hold political office. By the time we reach the age of consent, we have broken more hearts than Joan Rivers had facelifts.
The logic is simple, if people can take legally binding decisions at 18; they should be good enough to stand as candidates. To state otherwise is logical haram.
The fact that youths are taking a sensible break from the hormonal demands of their generation to demand for proportional representation is a step up. I wish the #30PercentOrNothing movement would get their generation to first renounce violence, thuggery and sycophancy.
But the number of calendars on my head disqualifies me. I am fast subscribing to the famous mantra of the late Kwara NLC leader, Elder JA Bright who declared – my hair will not dye ahead of me!
It would appear that the #30PercentOrNothing generation do not consider young governors; members of state assemblies, chairmen and councillors and of course the ever-on-leave members of the federal parliament as youths. Not all the governors are of the generation of the Wizard of Ota or Martin Elechi and definitely, there are more youthful-looking members of the feral executive council which awards more contracts than it executes and shines in the process.
This movement apparently do not believe that President Jones is a youth; perhaps they are more impressed with the looks, feel and actions of David Cameron, Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin and Francoise Hollande to mention a few. If we believe Mama Peace, this group wants President Jones to do for the ‘youths’ what he has done for the womenfolk. They forget that President Jones appointed the likes of Zainab Usman and Yadomah as non-sleeping members of the just concluded national con-fab. Both damsels are said to be below thirty. Indeed, Yadomah went further pledging her allowance to catering for orphans and widows of Boko haram. Let’s wait for her pubic audit to be presented soon.
There is hope for the youths under four more years of President Jones. I understand that 80% of those who signed away their future under Trash Away Naija, TAN are youths. They want four more years of uncommon transformation, to borrow a wandering Uyo leaf. When they get their wishes in 2015, TAN would be joining hands with the #30PercentOrNothing to make Naija the biggest importer of generating sets ever. They will have a nation where babalawos treat Ebola with ewedu and bitterleaf as doctors abandon public hospitals on indefinite strike.
They will have proportional representation as uniformed maiguards in private security outfits as the police makes permanent tactical manoeuvres. From the outside looking in, the youths I see today have no blueprint to save their nation from the abyss. They can’t wait their turn to join the looting train. As far as they are concerned, we couldn’t have had it better than now. The roads are deep gullies helping us to trim the population, then there is Boko Haram consisting mainly of – youths.
Schools or what is left of them have been closed for longer under this regime that NANS should apologise for Ali Must Go! If the leaders of today’s NANS had lived in 1978, they would have helped Colonel Ali sustain a mutiny and given him the coveted Grand Commander of Naija Students. This may make both Segun Okeowo and Bamidele Aturu squirm in their graves but it’s not about the dead; it’s about the living joining the trend. If national leadership were like shopping mall dressing rooms, we could have tried today’s youths for size assured that CCTV cameras and the fear of jail terms for shoplifters would’ve obliged them to drop anything that’s beyond their size. Alas, NANS is a youth organisation feeding fat on annual dues.
To make the man whose cluelessness caused the longest school closure grand patron of Naija students, Yinka Gbadebo’s surname should read Gbadebomi – one who drowns the crown. So, #30PercentOfWhat precisely are we asking?